There is a constant need for better ways to securely store, and to safely access, large and/or heavy items. This application is particularly critical when the storage system is located in a dynamic location, such as for example on ships, trains, airplanes, oil rigs at sea, military vehicles, and the like.
One application of interest is securing munitions on naval vessels. Tie-down systems currently used on certain naval vessels includes stanchions that anchor to ceiling plates and deck plates.
The ceiling plate and the deck plate have an aligned pattern of holes that engage with a plunger and/or a latch at the ends of the stanchion assemblies. The stanchions typically include a heavy metal latch that engages with a hole in the deck plate and a sliding plunger at the top end that engages with a hole in the ceiling plate. The plunger and latch on the stanchion permit relative movement of the ceiling and deck plates in response to movement of the ship.
One approach is to use battens extending between H-shaped stanchions. The H-shaped stanchions and battens create a temporary wall that is removed as the munitions are used. Consequently, for some applications there may be no need to move any stanchions for accessing the munitions.
Another approach is to place the stanchions in front of the open ends of a munitions container column, to secure the munitions stowed in the containers. However, for accessing the munitions, the stanchions must be removed and relocated.
The requirement to move and relocate the stanchions presents both a safety and human factors issue. The weight of a rectangular 3″×4″ stanchion is approximately 100 pounds which, as defined in MIL-STD-1472F, exceeds the ergonomic allowable lift for a single individual. When the stanchions are moved, they must be placed in a location that permits free movement of the sailors, the handling systems, and the munitions. The stanchions can be relocated to empty holes in the ceiling and deck plates, or laid on the deck. If they are placed on the deck, they can become a potential hazard because they can move with the movement of the ship. If they are placed in another position between the ceiling and deck plates, the ceiling assembly must adequately secure the plunger into the appropriate hole in the ceiling plate to prevent the stanchion from becoming a hazard. In the limited space available, moving the stanchions in a timely manner to accommodate the rate of fire can be difficult given the number of persons required for lifting and moving a stanchion. These moves may have to be repeated depending on the amount and/or type of munitions used.